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I need a plan to night wean my 2yo...help?

Hi there,
I have enjoyed nursing my son, and he loves it! However, I am feeling more and more exhausted. He is nursing a bit less during the day ( upon waking, before nap, for a loooong time after nap, and at bedtime to go to sleep). The thing is, we have co-slept since day 1 and he nurses all night long. Seriously. I thought we could try moving him to a toddler bed in our room...well, I am even more tired. He goes to bed around 8:30. Good....I get an hour or so alone time, clean up, hang out with hubby. He wakes up around 10:30/11. Nurses, back to sleep. Wakes up 12:30, nurses, sleeps. Wakes up 1:15, nurses, sleep. Wakes up 1:30, same. Wakes up 1:45 (I am ready to cry), I talk to him and lay with him and rub his back. He falls asleep. I go to bed. 2:15, he is up and walking over to our bed. My husband gets up to get him and he freaks out, screaming and crying. So, last night, he came back to bed. Slept from 2:30-7:30 with me, nursing the rest of the night. I am not exactly sure just how much, except for being woken up by "other side" here and there.

My shoulders and hips ache due to sleeping on my side with him, in spite of flipping sides. I just really want to night wean. Is there a gentle way to do this?? I hate to hear him cry and be so upset. And yet, I will be a better mommy if I could ever sleep through even one night!

Re: I need a plan to night wean my 2yo...help?

I was just about to write this same post myself...so I can't wait to see what people write in order to help!

Can your husband ever put your son back to sleep before you and he go in to sleep with your son? That might be a start...my husband can sometimes just lay with my daughter to put her back to sleep. If she's sick, or something is wrong then it doesn't work.

Mine is only 15 months and I'm feeling pretty worn out from the night nursing. Just like you, it's all night long. This has been going on for months. A few months ago she was sleeping pretty well a few nights per week, only waking up like twice (amazing!!!) but apparently she's back to square one now, waking up hour after hour. It's not her diaper, sometimes I wonder if she's too hot or just generally uncomfortable? :/

Re: I need a plan to night wean my 2yo...help?

Oh how I wish my husband could! He is completely willing, but DS will have none of it. Total tantrums if he sees daddy coming! so, it will be me, probably...unless I run out of options! I just read up on dr. Jay Gordon's method....might try that. http://drjaygordon.com/attachment/sleeppattern.html

Re: I need a plan to night wean my 2yo...help?

She'd been sleeping the first part of the night (which for us was about 2-3 hours) in her crib and the rest of the night with us. I was pregnant at the time and wanting to transition her to her own bed, so we put a futon mattress on the floor in her room as a "Big Girl Bed" and she LOVED it. What ended up happening was I'd usually sleep in her room with her, but she did get used to being in there. Once the baby came we tended to split our night-time parenting and I'd sleep with the baby and my husband would end up in her bed when she woke in the middle of the night. When the baby got a little bigger (and I started to relax about feeling like the kids 'needed' to be in their own beds) we'd usually all end up in bed together.

“We are not put on earth for ourselves, but are placed here for each other. If you are there always for others, then in time of need, someone will be there for you.”
--Anonymous

Re: I need a plan to night wean my 2yo...help?

Well, I am going away for the weekend this coming weekend and decided I needed to help get my little guy ready. So starting 2 nights ago, I have not nursed him at night. It hasn't been awful, but tiring, of course. He fusses a lot, cries a little, and cuddles the whole time. I tell him that we will nurse when the sun comes up. So the first night , I broke early and he didn't nurse from 9:30-5am. Last night, we made it to 6. Do you think this will help him or just wear us all out? He is happy in the morning and through out the day. I am just sooooo tired! But, that's to be expected! Thanks for listening!